Halo: Warrior of the Ecumene
by A Forerunner
Summary: Battles rage. Billions dead. The Forerunners struggle to stop an ancient evil from consuming the galaxy. Follow the tale of Bright Light of Splendid Suns, a Forerunner Warrior-Servant, as he battles the ravenous Flood. Prolouge is out!
1. Prolouge

**Hey everyone, this is A Forerunner, formerly known as Forerunnerfan993. I have redone this chapter to fix plot holes, add detail, and various other things. For those of you who know me, welcome back. For those who don't welcome to my Domain, a place of calm where I can look over Forerunner artifacts and the like. Anyway, enjoy the story!**

**A Forerunner**

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**-WARNING: CLASSIFIED ONI MATERIAL-**

**-TRANSCRIPT OF RESEARCH OF FORERUNNER ARTIFACT FOUND ON REQUIEM WITHIN-**

**-INFORMATION REQUESTED REQUIRES SECURITY CLEARANCE 9+-**

**-ENTER AUTHORIZATION CODE: -**

**-**7492401**-**

**-PROSSESSING REQUEST….-**

**-ACCESS GRANTED. RETRIEVING DATA…..-**

**-PLEASE NOTE, TRANSLATION OF MATERIAL IN [] IS APPROXIMATE.-**

**-TRANSMITTING...-**

**Prologue **

"Commander on deck!"

The few Marines and ONI Security officers in the area snapped to attention as the ONI Commander Serin Osman walked into the hallway, the walls of which were filled with the latest anti-intrusion and protection devices. She walked past the soldiers, and as she did she noticed a look of fear cross their faces for a moment before switching back to rigid, non expressive faces. She knew why, of course. They were scared of her. Not just because she was one of the most powerful people in the UNSC, but because she was chosen as a Spartan when she was only six years old. She washed out of the program, but these Marines still were afraid of her. She returned the salute and continued down the polished hallway. Serin approached the only room at the end of the hallway, deep under the ONI headquarters on Earth. As she walked, she wondered why the hallway was so clean. Even if it was rarely used, it should be a bit dusty. She quickly focused herself again and continued her walk down the hall.

She opened the door with her pass card and the fingerprint scanner, wondering what had been found on Requiem that was so important that she had to see it personally, besides the already staggering wealth of Forerunner knowledge and technology. The few scientists with security clearance to study the object paid little attention to her sudden appearance in this secure room. As well as one Huragok. She looked at Vergil, and he almost didn't notice her, distracted by the artifact left behind by his creators. But he did look up, and made a soft trilling noise when he saw her. He floated by her and gave a friendly gesture, then hovered by the artifact again. Huragok had gas bladders that help them to float in any atmosphere.

_Damn eggheads, never looking at anything without a microscope and computers._ Serin cleared her throat, which caused the researchers to look up in surprise. One of them walked over to her with a datapad full of what little they had gathered from the artifact since it arrived yesterday. The artifact resembled the one that the _Infinity_ had found on Requiem. It was roughly the shape of a rectangle, with sides sloping out. It floated half a meter above the floor, pulsating with orange light.

"What's so important about this artifact? We already had one studied onboard the _Infinity._" she asked, with irritation in her voice.

"Well, Commander Osman," the researcher said nervously, "This one is different. It only has one data stream within it. Unlike any data stream coming from the artifact on the _Infinity_. The neural patterns, if they are neural patterns, are different from those of a human."

"Meaning?" she asked, feeling less irritated, and more intrigued.

"That, if the data terminals discovered by Sierra 117 were correct, this could be the neural patterns of a Forerunner soldier."

"Do you think we can get access to the data stream?"

Another researcher spoke up, "We have Vergil working on it, but it seems to be difficult to get access to any data in it at all."

Just as Serin was about to respond, a high-pitched noise was emitted from the artifact, which had suddenly turned from orange to a deep blue. The noise, painful at first, changed in pitch until what seemed like words were heard in a volume and pitch comfortable to human ears was being emitted. The words, while not of any human language, flowed like a melody, sweet and pleasing to the ears. Vergil dropped back in mild suprise, then he made a noise that he was known to make when he was happy.

Suddenly, the voice changed once more. It no longer spoke in the alien language, but first, surprisingly, in Latin, then switched through languages until it stopped at English.

_Finally, a chance to speak to the Reclaimers, _the voice said, deep and rough, but not intimidating, rather, it was a voice like that of a parent welcoming a child back home.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Serin suddenly asked the artifact.

_I am what you suspected me to be, Reclaimer. I am a Warrior-Servant, one of the last who had physical form. My name, when I had use of it, thousands of years ago, is Bright Light of Splendid Suns. _

"Why are you talking to us?", Osman asked the artifact.

_Because you deserve to learn Reclaimers. To learn why we fell, and how to avoid our mistakes. Many of us wished for humanity to carry on our legacy. I can tell you all I know of our people, history and my own story. My tale of war and death. I am one of the last Forerunners in the galaxy, I think. Many perished from the Halo effect. I survived because before the Halos fired I had already been Composed. But now Reclaimers, please, let me tell my tale._

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**Again, apologies to all of you who wanted to see the story continued from the battle [no more spoilers for you!] but I felt this had to be started over. I had too many plot holes and too few details. Any critisism is welcome!**

**A Forerunner**


	2. Leaving Home

**So, here is the first chapter, not including the prologue. This will be the start of the story as told by Bright Light of Splendid Suns. Feel free to post comments and anything that may help improve the story. Enjoy!**

**A Forerunner**

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**Chapter 1**

**Leaving Home**

I had spent the domestic local [week] preparing for this. It was time for me, a 16 [domestic year] old [first form] to leave my homeworld for [The College for Strategic Defense of the Mantle], also known as War College. I thought that because I had recently finished my [mutation] under guidance of my father, I was ready to leave my family. I descended the stairs from my dormitory and down the half kilometer walk to where I would leave my [homeworld].

I walked out to the terrace to see my family already waiting for me. They wanted one last chance to say goodbye before I set off for I saw my father, mother, sister, and brother standing there, in ceremonial armor of a [Warrior-Servant]. My father waked over to me first, as is the custom. My father was about three [meters] tall, with an arm span of at least one and a half times my height. He was well muscled and had a hard, but caring expression on his face, when he was around us anyway. He put a strong hand on my shoulder, and spoke with a voice that was deep with sadness, but filled with pride at the same time.

"I only wish I could postpone losing my eldest son this early, but I know that time marches on."

I tried to reply, but my words were choked off by emotion. I embraced him, hoping that would convey enough. My father roughly patted my back, and I walked over to where my mother and siblings stood, armor gleaming in light of the rising sun. My mother was sad as well, and could barely manage a goodbye, but I knew what she meant, despite the [tear choked] words. My younger siblings, my sister and brother were a bit more stoic, though I could see their sadness.

I said my last goodbyes as the transport ship descended through the clouds. My homeworld was one that was suitable for life. It had a magnetic field strong enough that it did not need an artificial one. The rising sun's rays made it difficult to look at it at first, but I [polarized] my visor. The transport landed in the hardlight dock half a kilometer beyond the terrace. I headed down with my father, making the half kilometer walk in only 30 minutes. Before we got within 50 meters of the transport, my father stopped me.

"What is it Father?"

"I have one last gift for you son." He made a quick motion, and suddenly I felt a presence in my armor.

"It is an ancilla that has served me, my father, and my father's fathers. Think of it as an heirloom. From father to son."

"Thank you Father." I embraced him one last time, then headed to the transport waiting for me.

Two Warrior Servants waited at the transport, and greeted me as I walked to the entrance. I greeted them in return, with the traditional bow and salute. I walked onboard the ship, which since it was a Warrior ship, was not the most ornate, but it would serve well on the seven-day journey to War College. I suddenly heard a voice in my head, the voice of the ancilla. It was feminine and almost... melodic.

"Head down the hall and the first door on the left is your room for the voyage."

I grinned beneath my helmet, knowing that the ancilla thought I was worthy of speaking to so soon. I followed her directions, and opened the door. The transport was too small to fit more than twenty passangers, so I had my own quarters. I could hear the muffled sounds of conversation, and realized I was the last of the transport's passangers.

I headed to the viewscreen and saw the transport had already lifted away from my homeworld. I watched the green and blue jewel in a vast, empty blackness, the place I was brought into this world, recede until it was nothing but a speck among specks. Then the specks vanished and were replaced with the blue glow and swirl of slipspace.

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**Sorry it took so long to make this. I wanted to make it seem sad. That and life had me in its grasp. Testing and schoolwork. Ugh. Well, I'll see you all around.**

**A Forerunner**


End file.
